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Signed, Trusted, Exploited: Inside the ScreenConnect Breach Playbook

Signed, Trusted, Exploited: Inside the ScreenConnect Breach Playbook A trusted remote access tool turned Trojan: today’s news reveals how attackers have hijacked ScreenConnect (now ConnectWise Control), weaponizing its legitimacy to bypass defenses and sustain access. As an independent blogger and penetration tester , this twist-from trusted utility to clandestine threat vector-highlights an urgent shift: defenders must now regard established tools as potential weapons, and our penetration testing methodologies must evolve accordingly. Attack Vector: Weaponized RMM Software Threat actors are misusing ScreenConnect installers-often digitally signed and trusted-to establish persistent access, using methods like Authenticode stuffing to embed malicious configuration while preserving legitimate signatures. Technical Abuse: CHAINVERB Downloader In several campaigns, the CHAINVERB backdoor leverages signed ScreenConnect binaries. It hides C2 instructions inside certificate fields, en...
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Firewall Fails at Its Own Front Door: IPFire Admin Panel Compromised

Firewall Fails at Its Own Front Door: IPFire Admin Panel Compromised A firewall’s job is to keep attackers out. But what if the attacker walks in through the front door-the admin panel? A critical command injection flaw in IPFire , a widely trusted open-source firewall, allows authenticated users to run system commands via a legacy CGI script. No buffer overflows, no zero-days-just weak input sanitization in the user management form.This breach isn’t theoretical-it’s a wake-up call. Admin interfaces have become the new front lines of exploitation , especially as AI-driven cyberattacks scale and automate input fuzzing, credential testing, and persistence tactics. As an independent blogger and penetration tester, this event demands urgent attention. If a firewall-the very tool meant to defend networks-is exploitable from its own control panel, every red team must adjust its scope, simulation methods, and assumptions. Because in today's threat landscape, the firewall is not the finis...
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From RAR to Root: Inside the New Linux Malware Hiding in Archive Filenames

From RAR to Root: Inside the New Linux Malware Hiding in Archive Filenames Security researchers have identified a new Linux-based malware campaign that hides its payload inside a RAR archive filename . The malicious name contains a Base64-encoded string that, when listed by an insecure shell script, is piped directly into Bash. This tactic bypasses traditional file-based scanning. The executed payload retrieves a Linux ELF binary from a remote server and deploys the VShell backdoor into memory. VShell supports reverse shells, file access, process control, encrypted command-and-control, and targets a wide range of architectures including x86_64, i386, i686, armv7l, and aarch64. For penetration testers,check how automation scripts handle filenames. Simulate is or for  loops with unquoted filenames to detect injection risks. Prevent execution by ensuring proper filename sanitation. Limit or block RAR archive handling on production Linux systems unless verified by sandbox or AV t...
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No Click. No Warning. Just Stolen Credentials: The Windows Explorer Shortcut Attack

 No Click. No Warning. Just Stolen Credentials: The Windows Explorer Shortcut Attack It starts with a glance. Not a download. Not a double-click. Just opening a folder in Windows Explorer is now enough to silently leak your NTLM credentials. As an independent blogger and part-time penetration tester, I’ve seen my share of stealthy exploits-but CVE‑2025‑50154 feels different. It’s invisible. It’s zero-click. And it’s back with a vengeance. Security researchers have uncovered a critical Windows vulnerability that exposes NTLMv2‑SSP hashes without phishing, malware, or any user interaction . All it takes is a simple Ink shortcut file pointing to a remote icon. No warning. No prompt. Even more alarming- this flaw bypasses Microsoft’s previous patch for CVE‑2025‑24054 , proving that even visual elements in the UI can act as silent backdoors. It’s time to question what we trust in the Windows environment-and re-evaluate how we pen test for it. 2. Why This Threat Redefines Pen Testin...
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Espionage Reloaded: Hackers Breach Military Phones Without a Tap

Espionage Reloaded: Hackers Breach Military Phones Without a Tap In a chilling evolution of cyber espionage, attackers are now setting their sights on the most personal battlefield-your smartphone. Recent reports reveal that military-linked individuals and government personnel are being quietly targeted by sophisticated mobile spyware campaigns. These attacks require no clicks, no downloads-just presence. Armed with zero-day exploits and cloaked in silence, the malware slips in undetected, exfiltrating sensitive data without leaving a trace. This isn’t science fiction. It’s a stark reminder that in today’s threat landscape, even the device in your pocket can become a frontline vulnerability. 2. Why Penetration Testers Must Care Mobile devices have become battlefield footholds. Penetration testers must now expand their scope to include mobile attack surfaces-evaluating app vulnerabilities, exploitation potential, and persistence mechanisms that can bypass even the most advanced physi...
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Behind the Edit: How Hackers Turn PDF Tools into Cyber Weapons

Behind the Edit: How Hackers Turn PDF Tools into Cyber Weapons It’s no longer just malicious PDF attachments in emails you need to worry about-today’s attackers are going straight for the tools themselves. Recent investigations reveal that threat actors are weaponizing trusted PDF editors and viewers like Foxit, embedding malicious JavaScript, deceptive UI elements, and rogue form objects to trigger remote code execution or silently deliver malware. As an independent blogger and part-time pentester, this evolution is both alarming and revealing. PDF software-often assumed safe by default-is now a frontline target in sophisticated exploitation chains. In this post, we’ll dive into how these threats work, the tools used to detect them, and what ethical hackers need to watch for in the wild.
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Into the Wolf’s Den: How Scaly Wolf Is Hijacking Industrial Systems with White Snake Malware

Into the Wolf’s Den: How Scaly Wolf Is Hijacking Industrial Systems with White Snake Malware   A newly uncovered campaign by the APT group Scaly Wolf is targeting industrial and logistics sectors in Russia and Belarus, according to today’s report . Using phishing emails disguised as government notices, the attackers deploy password-protected ZIP files containing White Snake malware-designed to steal credentials, browser data, and documents, all while covertly communicating via Telegram-based C2 channels .  As an independent blogger and part-time penetration tester , this attack highlights a critical truth: simple lures paired with stealthy malware remain dangerously effective . In this post, I’ll break down how Scaly Wolf operates, how red teams can emulate these tactics, and how defenders can detect and disrupt them before real damage is done.
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